Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 690

§ 104.

6(J6

DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIFORMITY

greatly subject to the influence of the State. this

was preferable

to being

bound

[Uiv. Ill

Provisionally

to the instituted churches,

but it entailed the subsequent loss of separating her too greatly from the life of the Church, and of allowing too great an influence to be exerted upon her by non-theological factors. Since the ministry was educated almost exclusively at the universities, theology, with her diverging tendencies and schools, has undoubtedly exerted a disturbing influence upon the churchly life. And as a reaction against this it has called the narrow-hearted sectarian stream into

life,

which would

prefer to confine theology to an ecclesiastical seminarium.

This measure would restore the Romish passion for uniformbut now without the counterpoise which Rome still

ity,

furnished in

world-wide organization and in

its

Compulsion here

is

ity of churchly life

its

orders.

and since the multiformgoes and must go as far as it is postof no avail,

ulated by the variations in the organic life of the Church, so likewise, in order to fulfil her mission, theology must be left entirely free,

except by such as

and cannot be limited by any boundary is

indicated in the life-relations themselves.

having authority in the sphere of the magistrate, but science and the Church are here to determine the boundary. Theology is inconceivable as a science studied for mere pleasure, and therefore every theological effort, which

Not the

State, as

does not find a corresponding stream in the Church, is bound of itself to bleed to death. Hence for a while it progressed fairly well,

pelled

itself

i.e.

as long as the stream of churchly life pro-

with power.

theology completed

their

Both Lutheran and Reformed first

task

when they explained

two new tendencies in the churchly the churchly confession, and thus vindicated

systematically these

and in them over against Rome as well as over against each other. But so soon as the pulse of the churchly life began to beat more faintly, foreign factors began to undermine the This became evihealthful vitality of theology as well. dent in the syncretistic and pietistic tendencies, even before

life

Rationalism, as the train-bearer of Philosophy, threw the glove to her.

down

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